


sad and glad

by revewuv



Series: almost, maine [2]
Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Angst, Dialogue Heavy, Exes, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Symbolism, kind of, wendy is a sweetheart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:22:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28335345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/revewuv/pseuds/revewuv
Summary: “Okay.” The waitress takes in the weird dynamic, then starts to go.“Well, holler if you need anything.”“Thanks.” The waitress stops. “No really―you gotta holler. It’s busy up front!” And then she’s leaving. “Okay.” Both Sooyoung and Seulgi say to the waitress. “Okay!” She says on her way out.
Relationships: Kang Seulgi/Park Sooyoung | Joy, Park Sooyoung | Joy/Son Seungwan | Wendy
Series: almost, maine [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2075043
Kudos: 5





	sad and glad

Park Sooyoung sits alone at a table in a back corner of Almost Maine’s local hangout, the Moose Paddy. She’s wearing a light blue long-sleeved shirt tucked into a pair of jeans. Kang Seulgi is coming from the ladies’ room, cheerily heading back to her friends who are up front. She passes Sooyoung. Sooyoung sees Seulgi and calls to her, stopping her.

“Seulgi!” 

“Hm?” This is a bit awkward―awful, actually. Seulgi suddenly smiles and tries to make the best of the awfulness. 

“Sooyoung!” Sooyoung’s a little too excited. “Hey!” “Hey!” “Hey!!” “Hey!!” Sooyoung bear hugs Seulgi. Seulgi doesn’t really take the hug or hug her back.

“Heyyyy!!!” They say at the same time. 

“How are you doing?!?” 

“Doing pretty good! How are you doing?!?” 

“I’m doing good, doing good! How are you doing?!?” 

“I’m good, doing good, great! How are you?” 

“Great, great! How are ya?” 

“Great, great!” 

“Oh, that’s great!”

“Yeah!” 

“That’s great!” 

“Yeah.” 

“You look great.” 

“Thanks.” 

“You do. You look so great.” 

“Thanks, Sooyoung.” 

“So pretty. So pretty.” 

“Thanks.” There’s an awful, uncomfortable silence. Then, a little too cheerfully Sooyoung says, “Here, have a seat!”

“Oh, Sooyoung, I can’t―” 

“Aw, come on, I haven’t seen you in...well, months _.”_

_“Yeah―”_

_“And months and months and months and months and months and months and_ months _, how does that happen? Live in the same town as someone and never see them?”_

_“I don’t know.”_

_“I mean, I haven’t seen you since that night before that morning when I woke up and you were just gone.”_

_“Yeah, I, uh...―” The waitress blasts in. She’s in constant motion and disappears as quickly as she appears._

_“Look at you two, tucked away in the corner over here! Lucky I found ya! Is the woman and her lovely lady ready for another round?”_

_“Sure, we’ll have a couple of beers.”_

_“No! We’re not together.”_

_“Well we used to be―”_

_“We’re all set, thanks.”_

_“Well don’t you want a drink?―”_

_“All set!”_

_“Okay―yeah, we’re good.”_

_“Okay.” The waitress takes in the weird dynamic, then starts to go._

_“Well, holler if you need anything.”_

_“Thanks.” The waitress stops. “No really―you gotta holler. It’s busy up front!” And then she’s leaving. “Okay.” Both Sooyoung and Seulgi say to the waitress. “Okay!” She says on her way out._

_“So, um...you here with anybody, or―?”_

_“Yeah―um...the girls.”_

_“Oh.”_

_“We’re uh―… Girls’ night! We’re in the front.” She starts to go._

_“Actually, I just had to use the ladies’ room, so I should get back to them.” Sooyoung stops her. “Aw, but I haven’t seen you! They’ll survive without you for a minute or two! So, what’s been―here―” Sooyoung offers her a seat. “―what’s been going on, whatcha been up to?”_

_Seulgi gives in, sitting down. “Well―”_

_“Did you know that I took over my dad’s business?”_

_“Yeah, that’s great!”_

_“I run it now!”_

_“I heard that.”_

_“I’m running it!”_

_“Heard that.”_

_“Running the business!”_

_“Congratula”_

_“Running the whole show,”_

_“tions!, Good for you!, Good for you.”_

_“the whole shebang―thanks―yeah. We still do heating and cooling,”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“and we’ve expanded, too: We do rugs now. We shampoo them.”_

_“Oh.”_

_“It’s a lot of work. A lot of work. I’m on call a lot: weekends, holidays, you name it, ‘cause, you know, your heat goes, people die, it’s serious.”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“Yeah. Like, I do Thanksgiving, Christmas, ‘cause I let the guys who work for me, like, Minghao helps with repairs sometimes, I let them have the day off so they can be with their families since I’m all alone this year.”_

_“Oh.”_

_“Yeah.” Sooyoung drives the point home._

_“I really don’t have anybody anymore, really. My brother and sister got canned, so they left town.”_

_“Right…”_

_“And Mom and Dad retired, headed south.”_

_“Yeah, I heard that.”_

_“Vermont.”_

_“Oh.”_

_“Yeah, winters there are a lot easier. And then―I don’t know if you heard, but...then Spot went and died on me.”_

_“Oh, Sooyoung, I didn’t know that!”_

_“Yeah. He was old, it was his time. He was a good fish, though.” Sooyoung is seriously sad about Spot; trying to recover._

_“But, so, like I said, I really don’t have anybody anymore, really...but, so, um, I was wondering―would you like to come over? It’d be fun! Catch up, hang out…?”_

_“Oh, Sooyoung I really can’t.” The waitress blasts in. “And I forgot to tell you―don’t forget: Friday night special at the Moose Paddy: Drink free if you’re sad. So, if you’re sad, or if you two lovebirds are ready for another couple of beers or something, you just let me know, all right?”_

_“No, we’re not together―”_

_“Okay!” “Okay!” And she’s gone. “Okay…” Seulgi says helplessly._

_“So whatta you say? Wanna come on over, for fun?”_

_“No, Sooyoung. I can’t. I can’t.” Seulgi gets up to leave._

_“I really gotta get back with the girls.”_

_“Nah―”_

_“Yeah, Sooyoung, yeah. I gotta. ‘Cause see...oh, gosh, I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a while: There’s a guy, Sooyoung. I’ve got a guy.” Seulgi is forceful, but kind. This is a huge blow to Sooyoung. But she’s tough._

_“Oh.”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“Well...good for you. Getting yourself out there again.”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“Moving on.”_

_“Yeah, well, actually, Sooyoung, it’s more than me just getting myself out there and moving on. Um...this is my...bachelorette party.”_

_“I’m getting married.” This is an enormous blow to Sooyoung. “Oh.”_

_“Wow.”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“Wow, that’s―…” She’s devastated._

_“I thought you said you weren’t gonna do that. Get married. Thought it wasn’t for you, you told me.”_

_“Guess it just wasn’t for you with me.”_

_“So, who’s the lucky guy?”_

_“Im Jaebum. You know him? The forest ranger―”_

_“Yeah, the ranger guy, over in Ashland!”_

_“Yeah!”_

_“Wow!”_

_“Yeah!”_

_“He’s a legend! Legendary. I mean, if you’re lost on a mountain in Maine, he’s the guy you want looking for you!”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“And he...found you.”_

_“Yeah. I’m sorry I never told you―I actually thought you would’ve known, I thought you would’ve heard.”_

_“How would I have heard?”_

_“Well, you know...people talk.”_

_“Not about things they know you don’t wanna hear, they don’t. And I gotta be honest with you: That’s not something I would’ve wanted to hear. So...when’s the big event?”_

_“Um...tomorrow!”_

_“Really.”_

_“Yup!”_

_“Well then…” Sooyoung downs her beer and then raises her arm to wave down the waitress. As she does, her sleeve slides up her arm a little. She shouts to the waitress. “HEY!” Seulgi doesn’t want the girls―or anyone―to see her with Sooyoung._

_“What are you doing?” Sooyoung goes towards the front―where the waitress has exited and where the bachelorette party is. “Getting our waitress―she said holler.” She starts calling the waitress. “HEY!” To Seulgi she says, “What’s her name?”_

_“I don’t know, she’s new here.” She once again says to the waitress. “HEY!”_

_“What are you doing?” Seulgi says, not wanting to draw attention. “We gotta celebrate! You got found! And you deserve it! He’s quite a guy!”_

_“Aw, Sooyoung.”_

_“And so are you. I mean―you’re quite a girl―woman―person.” Sooyoung says, completely sincere. “Sooyoung…” Seulgi’s moved by her kindness. There’s a pause as Seulgi and Sooyoung face one another. Sooyoung faces what she lost. Seulgi faces the girl she unceremoniously dumped. Then, Sooyoung raises her arm again and yells to the waitress._

_“HEY!” Seulgi’s trying to stop Sooyoung from drawing attention to them. “Sooyoung!” Then, she notices a black marking on the inside of Sooyoung’s forearm. “Sooyoung!―whoa―hey! What’s that?”_

_“What?”_

_“That!” Seulgi refers to the black marking on her arm. Sooyoung covers the mark. “Oh. nothing―tattoo―” Sooyoung uses her other arm to wave down the waitress. “HEY!”_

_“What?!?”_

_“Tattoo.”_

_“What―when did you get that?” Seulgi says, intrigued. “Um… After you left.” Seulgi goes for Sooyoung’s arm. “Sooyoung! Well―what’s it off, what’s it say?”_

_“Nothing, nothing,” Seulgi grabs her arm. “N-n-no!” Seulgi pushes up Sooyoung’s sleeve, and takes a beat as she reads, on the inside of her forearm, in big, bold letters: “Wendy.”_

_“Wendy.”_

_“Who’s Wendy?”_

_“Wanda. It’s supposed to say, ‘Wanda.’”_

_“What?”_

_“It’s supposed to say ‘Wanda’, it’s the name of a villain character in one of my favorite comics.”_

_“Well, it doesn’t say, “Wanda.” It says, “Wendy.”_

_“I know, I spelled it wrong―”_

_“What?!?”_

_“―_ they _heard it wrong. It says, ‘Wendy’, but it’s supposed to say, ‘Wanda.’”_

_“Well, why is it supposed to say, ‘Wanda’? Why would you want a tattoo of a villain character’s name?”_

_“‘Cause…”_

_“‘Cause why?”_

_“Just ‘cause.”_

_“Just ‘cause_ why _?”_

_“Just ‘cause...when a girl’s got a girl like you..well, I just think that losing a girl like you, driving a girl like you away…”_

_“Sooyoung, you didn’t drive me away―”_

_“is just plain criminal. It’s_ criminal _. It’s_ villainy _! And it should be punished! So I punished myself, I marked myself a villain so girls would stay away so I’d never have to go through what I went through again with you, again―can I kiss you?”_

_“No.” Sooyoung tries to kiss Seulgi. Seulgi stops her. “Hey! I said no.”_

_“Sorry.”_

_“You can get that undone, you know.” Seulgi says kindly, referring to Sooyoung’s tattoo._

_“Yeah.”_

_“I gotta head.” Seulgi leaves._

_“Yeah.” Then, stopping Seulgi: “Hey, I’m―…” Seulgi stops and turns to Sooyoung. “I’m glad you got found.”_

_“Thanks, Sooyoung.” Seulgi goes back to her bachelorette party―and is welcomed back heartily. Sooyoung hears this. She is alone, sad, and stuck there._

_The waitress blasts in. “Hey! Sorry! You were waving me down. I saw you, but it’s so busy in the front! There’s this bachelorette party: those_ girls _! Good thing it’s not, “Drink free if you’re_ glad _,” ‘cause those girls are wicked_ glad _. Gosh―I had to fight my way through to find you, but I did it! I found you! So: What’d you need, what can I do for you? Another beer?”_

_“Um, I’m okay, I’m good, thanks…” She’s sad, looking off to where Seulgi went. The waitress takes in Sooyoung’s sadness, she looks to where Seulgi went, then sees the empty chair. She looks back off to where Seulgi went...and puts the pieces together._

_“Oh, pal… Um… Um… Well, remember, like I said, Moose Paddy special: Drinks are free if you’re sad. Okay? Just tell me you’re sad, and you’ll drink free. Just say the word. Let me know. ‘Cause I know from sad, and you’re looking pretty sad.”_

_No response from Sooyoung. She’s just sad. “Okay. Well, my name’s Wendy, if you need anything.” She leaves. After a small beat of silence, the waitress’ name registers. Sooyoung calls her: “_ Wendy _!?!”_

_“Yeah?” Wendy says, stopping._

_“Hi.”_

_“Hi!”_

_“I’m not sad. I just would like another beer.”_

_“All right!” She leaves._

_“Wendy!!!” Sooyoung says, making sure her name is actually Wendy. “Yeah?!?” Wendy stops again._

_“I’m glad you found me.”_

_“Aw…” She leaves._

_“‘I’m glad you found me,’ that’s adorable…” Wendy says to herself. Sooyoung is dumbfounded. She deals with her tattooed forearm in some way. The northern lights appear._

**Author's Note:**

> in the real story, the guy gets a tattoo that's supposed to be villain, but is mistakenly spelled like 'villian' - i wanted wenjoy tho so i made wendi up so they could wrongly spell it like wendy, if that makes sense


End file.
